Break Up to Make Up
A few days later AJ's mother had taken the hint and went home, AJ made up with her father and she was back to work but she was really busy getting ready for her brothers wedding which was this weekend. AJ walked home from work and walked into the shop to see the new guy who was hired to fill in while Jason was on his honeymoon. With David not working they were short handed as it was but Punk wouldn't be able to keep up with Jason gone.
"Hey." AJ greeted.
"We're closed." The very attractive man with a backwards hat told her.
"I'm AJ." She told him and he seemed confused. "Jason's sister." she told him and he nodded.
"Sorry." He said with a laugh and shook her hand. "I'm Mike, Mike Bennet."
"Nice to meet you." She smiled.
"Jason didn't tell me how pretty his sister was." Mike flirted innocently.
"Thank you." AJ said to him.
"You waitress over at the Penny right?" Mike asked and she nodded. "I've seen you there a few times."
"You're home early." Punk noted coming down the stairs. "I was just going to walk over and meet you."
"Yea it was a slow night." She said happy to see her boyfriend.
"You met Mike?" Punk asked.
"Yea." AJ said as Punk kissed her lips. "How's my dad doing?"
"He's tired today." Punk told her honestly.
"I'm going to go check in on him." She said to him. "If you're not busy you want to come up and watch the end of the game with us?"
"Yea." He said to her. "I'll be up in a few minutes."
"You and Jason's sister, huh?" Mike teased. "Last time I came around here you were getting set to propose to Maria."
"Things change." Punk said to him. "So keep your eyes in your head." he warned him.
"It's cool." Mike laughed. "So Maria is free?" he asked and Punk glared at him. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."
"You can do whatever you want with Maria." Punk told him.
"I thought Jason's sister was living in Jersey." Mike said to him.
"She moved out here to help with David." Punk informed him.
"She's real cute tho." Mike said to him.
"She is." Punk had to agree.
"Shame about Maria though." Mike said shaking his head. "Really thought you two would be the first married and be forever, you know?"
"It worked out for the best." Punk said to him.
"Fifteen years though." Mike pointed out.
"Why are you harping on this?" Punk asked annoyed.
"I saw Maria the other night at the movies she's looking good that's all." Mike said to him.
"She moved to New York with Curtis." Punk told him. "She left me and I moved on."
"Crazy shit I've missed." Mike chuckled.
Punk made it upstairs just in time to catch the end of the game with AJ and David. He loved just hanging around AJ and the fact that she loved sports. He couldn't pay Maria to stay in on a nice night to watch a game.
"Where's Larry's rubber football?" She asked looking around the apartment.
"My place." Punk said leaning forward and watching the game closely.
"I'll just go get it." She said walking out and across the hall to Punk's.
Punk was an absolute slob for the most part and she quickly picked up some of his clothes before searching for the ball. She opened up his top drawer and stuffed his clean boxers inside but pulled out a velvet box that was hidden in there. She opened it and saw it was the ring Maria gave back to him a few days ago. He still had it and was hiding it away for some reason. Maria had told her she gave it back to Punk so he could propose again, was he considering it? She grabbed the box and sat on the bed and looked at it for a while until she heard someone come in.
"Did you get lost?" He asked amused then noticed the ring in her hand. "Did you go through my stuff?"
"Why do you still have this? I thought you were selling it." AJ said showing him the ring.
"Going through my stuff isn't ok." Punk told her turning red. "I don't snoop through your shit."
"Why do you have it?" she demanded stand up. "And don't flatter yourself I wasn't snooping I was trying to help you clean up."
"Who asked you to?" He snapped and snatched the ring box out of her hand.
"Why are you getting so defense? Since when do you care if I open open up a drawer in your apartment?" She asked him. "But more importantly why do you have the ring? You told me you'd sell it and now you're hiding it!"
"I wasn't hiding it I just don't leave jewelry out in my place." Punk said stuffing it back in his drawer and slamming it shut. "I don't owe you an explanation either."
"You don't?" She asked him. "Maria told me you're going to propose to her again."
"Why the fuck do you keep harping on Maria? Everyone is! I'm with you and I've never given you any reason to not trust what I say!" He yelled.
"Hiding that ring gives me reason!" She yelled back.
"Why are you so insecure?" He asked her. "What is wrong with you? Your lack of confidence is a real turnoff by the way."
"I'm not insecure I'm trying to be aware of my surroundings." She said to him. "Someone needs to look out for my heart and I'm the only one who will clearly."
"I've done everything to look out for you since the day you got here. You're picking a fight out of nothing." Punk shot at her. "You snooped through my stuff-"
"I didn't snoop! I was trying to help you!" She yelled.
"When I want help for you I'll ask." He said annoyed. "Until then stay out of my fucking property."
"You're awfully defensive." AJ said shaking her head and walking past him out of the bedroom.
"You're awfully nosy." He remarked back.
"Look I was wary of Maria coming back but I really didn't think much of it but your reaction right now is awful." She said to him.
"No I'm just sick and tired of everyone bringing her up to me and waiting for me to go back to her. She is in the fucking past and if I can't convince you or anyone of that then I'm doing something wrong." Punk told her coldly.
"I wonder why everyone keeps bringing it up." She said grabbing Larry's football. "Maybe we rushed into things too quickly after Maria. You're holding onto her ring, you had her photo up still-"
"This fucking picture again." He groaned.
"I'm sorry you think I'm insecure or not confident and it turns you off but I'm guarding myself." She said to him. "I'm standing up for myself. I won't be your rebound and I want be your place holder until you get back with her. Maybe we need some space."
"Maybe we do." He agreed. "I won't be with someone who questions everything I do and doesn't trust me."
"You didn't even give me a chance to ask about the ring you jumped all over me. I trusted you up until that moment." She said then walked out of the apartment and slammed the door behind her.
Friday morning Punk and Jason were in his apartment getting ready for the wedding.
"Look today is my big day." Jason began. "I don't want any shit between you and AJ."
"We're fine." Punk said to him.
"You've been avoiding each other." Jason noted. "I'm not an idiot. You two broke it off."
"We're taking space." Punk admitted and Jason shook his head. "She found the ring I gave Maria in my drawer."
"Why did you still have it?" Jason asked tying his bow.
"Because I was going to sell it but then I thought I'd hold onto it and trade it in at some point for something better down the line." Punk said to him.
"Trade it in for a better ring?" Jason asked and Punk nodded. "Why didn't you just tell AJ that?"
"Because I'm not thinking about marriage yet it was just a thought." Punk defended. "And she snooped."
"Why do you care?" Jason asked.
"I don't I'm just sick of explaining myself to her and everyone else." Punk shrugged.
"It would bother me too, I'm just saying." Jason defended. "I mean let's say some ex gave AJ a ring and she was hiding it away. I know you and you'd fucking flip."
"I would." Punk agreed.
"Things were going good and you took the first easy way out." Jason said to him.
"I'm afraid she's going to go back home." Punk admitted.
"She's not going home." Jason laughed. "How many more ways does she have to say it?"
"And how many more ways to do I have to say I'm not going back to Maria?" Punk asked back.
"Well they're both going to be at the wedding so whatever feelings you have I suggest you sort it out." Jason told him.
"I don't need to sort out anything." Punk said to him. "I'm not even thinking about Maria."
"So tell that to AJ." Jason shrugged.
The wedding was beautiful. It was a pretty big wedding since Kate had a big family but everyone seemed to have fun. When the bridesmaids walked down the aisle in their cream colored silk dresses Punk's eyes were on AJ. Not only did he not notice Maria, he didn't even notice the bride.
"Isn't she gorgeous?" Jason asked Punk looking at Kate.
"Yes." He whispered but he was looking at AJ. Her hair was down and wavy, she had on a radiant smile and light makeup on.
He kept his eyes on her throughout the entire ceremony. He didn't notice the dreamy eyes Maria was making at him but he noticed AJ's glares a few times. Maybe deep down he did feel torn between the two but being so close from her now but so far away really put things in perspective for him. Maria was his past and he made peace with that, AJ was his present and future.
At the reception Punk was a the wedding party table sitting across from AJ who still managed to ignore him perfectly. Mike walked over and whispered into Maria's ear who blushed and nodded.
"Phil, could you watch my purse? Mike wants me to dance." She said standing up and waiting for Punk to have some sort of a reaction which he didn't. She left her purse on the table and finally Punk and AJ were alone at the table.
"Please stop doing that." She said to him.
"Stop what?" he asked over the music.
"Looking at me like that." she hissed and he just smiled. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do you want to dance?" Punk asked ignoring her question.
"No Phil not with you at least." AJ said to him.
"Is there another guy you want to dance with here? Please point him out to me." he said sitting back in his chair and relaxing.
"You wanted space." She reminded him.
"No you said you wanted space." He pointed out.
"You called me insecure and said I turned you off." She reminded him as well and he cringed inwardly. He did say those things.
"I was angry." He said to her.
"Why?" she asked him. "I didn't mean any harm."
"I know." He said getting up and moving around the round table and sitting next to her. "Look, I wasn't keeping the ring because I plan on proposing to Maria again. I put it away and forgot about it that's it."
"Really?" She asked him and he nodded.
"I was thinking I could trade it in for a watch or something. If I wanted to be with Maria I would be." He assured her. "I love you." He told her and she smiled slowly.
"You do?" she asked.
"I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you all day." He pointed out. "You look so beautiful tonight."
"You shaved." She noted running her hand over his bare cheek.
"I promised Kate I would." He smirked.
"I'm going back to New Jersey." She told him and his face dropped. "Phil-" she started but he stood up and walked out of the reception room.
AJ ran after him without causing a scene. It was difficult to catch up with him since she was wearing heels but she tried anyway.
"Phil will you wait!" She yelled then tripped over dress and landed face down on the marble lobby floor.
Punk turned around and saw her and walked back and kneeled down to check on her.
"Are you ok?" He asked annoyed.
"Yea." She hissed rubbing her knee over her dress.
"This is what I was afraid of." Punk said to her seriously. "You picking up and leaving. You're afraid of me going back to Maria? Well I had the same fear with you and New Jersey."
"I'm going back to pack up the rest of my stuff." She groaned still rubbing her knee. "If you would have let me finish you would have known that. What is with you always cutting me off before I could finish?"
"To pack?" he asked slowly.
"Yea Phil." She said to him. "I need my winter clothes and stuff. David is going on a fishing trip with his buddies for one last time and Jason is going to be on his honeymoon so I figured it was the perfect time to go."
"When are you going?" Punk asked.
"Tomorrow." She said to him and he helped her to her feet. "I'm only going to be gone a day. Did you really think I was picking up and leaving you behind? Even though you're a stupid jerk."
"I'm not...well maybe I am." He had to admit.
"I love you too." She told him honestly. "Stop waiting for me to pack up and leave."
"As long as you stop waiting for me to go back to Maria." Punk shot back at her. "I'm in this for the long haul with you."
"Good." She said relieved. "I'm sorry I went through your drawer."
"And I'm sorry I lied to you." He said to her and she was confused. "Nothing you say or do turns me off." she gave him a light smile and she took his hand into hers.
"Can I still have that dance?" She asked hopefully.
"You can have anything you want from me." He told her then lead her back into the reception.
Thankfully there was a slow song on and Punk lead AJ to the center of the dance floor right past Maria and Mike and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned down as she reached up and kissed him sweetly. It wasn't over the top, but sweet and tender.
Punk and AJ stumbled backwards into his apartment with their lips attached. She was removing his jacket as he walked backwards further into the apartment as he did the same with hers. They made it into the bedroom and kept the lights off. She fell against the bed and felt him tug the tight dress up past her waist as he unbuttoned his dress shirt and left it open. He fell forwards onto her and began to kiss her again. Her hands ran up and down his back and one traveled lower and squeezed his ass jerking him into her.
He moved his hands over to her shoulders and pushed the thick straps down to free her breasts. He began kissing and sucking on her breasts one at a time while her hands undid his dress pants and began to stroke him. She was biting on her bottom lip and arching her breast into his mouth to encourage him into continuing.
The teasing was enough and AJ gripped him causing him to hiss and lead him to her entrance. He didn't need a map though, he took over as she raised her hips slightly and he was deep inside of her. Punk moved rapidly, so fast that the bed was shaking and hitting the wall every time he entered her body.
Both were still partially dressed but they didn't care. They went days without even speaking and all either could think about was having this moment again. Punk buried his face in the crook of her neck as he continued to move while she gasped and moaned at the contact. Her nails were digging into his back over his shirt and she raised her legs so her knees were bent and the soles of her feet were touching the bed.
"Harder." She requested and he shot his head up and looked down at her.
"You sure?" He panted out and she nodded.
Punk placed his hands onto the bed to perch himself up and began to move into her as hard as she could. She was crying out in pleasure instantly and the neighbors next door were banging on the wall due to the bed crashing against it and probably AJ's volume.
"Fuck AJ take all of me." He hissed looking down at her.
"I want it all." She responded cupping his ass and digging her nails into there now. "Yes Phil!" She screamed as her orgasm hit. Punk moved a few more times before he came inside of her and carefully slid out of her and dropped onto his stomach next to her.
"You ok?" he asked and she nodded with a satisfied smile. "I've missed this." he admitted looking her directly in the eyes as she tilted her head to the side to look at him.
"Me too." She said to him and ran her finger over his bottom lip. "Do you really love me?"
"Yes." he said to her honestly.
"Are you going to love me forever?" She asked him now and he looked at her seriously.
"I don't think it's possible for me not to." he said to her.
AJ sat up and adjusted her dress and he frowned.
"I tell you that I love you and that's how you respond?" He teased.
"You know I love you just as much." She said brushing it off. "I have to walk Larry."
"I'll go with you." he offered. "It's late."
"Can you watch him while I'm in jersey?" AJ asked him. "Mike said he would but Larry likes you best."
"No I can't, sorry." He said to her and she seemed surprised. "Because I'm going to New Jersey with you."
A/N: First fight! Also how will Punk react to the roles being reversed and being on AJ's home turf? Stay tuned!